Just like in all other crafts, quilting requires tools and materials, and you cannot make a good quilt without the best of these. Part of the required materials is quilting fabrics, and these are sheets of cloth that are used to do the layering when making the quilt.
Well, this does not mean that they can be placed inside the quilt. Quilting fabrics are meant to provide the outside layer of the final product, and thus, the first thing is that the material should be vibrant to look good. It should also be strong and tough to make the quilt last for long.
With this in mind, this article gives you a review of the best quilting fabrics that you can use for your quilting projects.
Editor’s Choice Best Quilting Fabric
flic-flac 200pcs 4 x 4 inches (10cmx10cm) Cotton Craft Fabric
Flic-Flac’s quilting fabric set consists of 200 pieces of 4-inch square sheets (10cm by 10cm), giving you quite a big number of options to finish off your quilt.
Additionally, the set contains 50 different patterns, which means you get 4 pieces per pattern. These consist of different designs that are suitable for quilts, cushion covers, tablecloths, toys, and coin bags, among many others, giving you practically limitless possibilities on what you can make.
Apart from design, these sheets are machine cut to give you a consistent size for easy sewing because you won’t have to adjust their size.
Regarding material, these pieces are made purely from 100% cotton, which is a high-quality fiber because it is soft and strong. Cotton is usually densely packed as compared to fabrics such as polyester, and this is what makes it strong and easy to manipulate and cut without it unraveling or wrinkling.
If you find this size being too small for your project, there are several other options, which include 25- and 50-piece sets of 12 × 12-inch, 8 × 8-inch, and 10 × 10-inch sheets. These give you machine cut, cotton pieces of different sizes that are suitable for different types of projects.
Features at a glance
- Comes as a set of 200 sheets measuring 4 × 4 inches in size
- It contains 50 different patterns, giving you 4 sheets per pattern.
- Machine cut to give you a consistent size.
- It is made from 100% cotton.
- Also available in 25- and 50-piece sets of 12 × 12-inch, 8 × 8-inch, and 10 × 10-inch sheets.
iNee Pink Fat Quarters Quilting Fabric
iNee’s quilting fabric is the most affordable quilting fabric in this review but also the top-rated product, and this means that there is something that makes it stand out.
For starters, it comes as a set consisting of 5 fat quarters, which are 22 by 18-inch cuts, and this gives you a lot of fabric at your disposal. The advantage of these big sizes is that you won’t have to stitch very many pieces of them to form a large quilt, although this will form a single pattern over a large quilt surface.
Regarding color, this set has a pink theme, with floral designs, stripes, and other patterns, but has pink as the dominant color. Therefore, you or your client have to love pink to use this set on the quilting project.
On material, each fat quarter in the set is made of a 100% cotton fabric that makes it soft and strong and can be worked on without unraveling or wrinkling.
However, to enhance the performance and lifespan of this fabric, it is important always to wash it in cold water. Hot water may damage the cotton fiber bonds, causing it to degrade slowly over time.
Features at a glance
- Affordable.
- Comes as a set of 5 fat quarters (22 × 18-inch cuts)
- Pink colored theme with floral designs and stripes
- It is made from 100% cotton material, which is soft and strong.
- Requires to be washed using cold water only for durability purposes.
iNee Green Floral Fat Quarters Quilting Fabric
This is another product from iNee, and it has the same quality that matches the top-rated pink-themed quilting fabric set above.
However, this one has a green floral design and is also available in sunflower, spring flower, pink and green designs, giving you a wide variety of options to choose from.
The set is also slightly more expensive than the pink one above, but this is because it consists of 6 fat quarters, each measuring 18 × 22 inches in size. Such a big size reduces the work of stitching multiple small pieces as in other sets, especially when you want to make a big quilt such as in tablecloths or duvets.
Regarding fabric, these fat quarters are all made from 100% cotton fibers, making them soft to touch, yet tough enough to withstand rough handling.
The only important thing that you should ensure to do is to wash the fabric or the final product that you create with cold water. This will ensure that the cotton fibers remain intact for more durability.
Features at a glance
- It comes in a green floral design but is also available in sunflower, spring flower, pink, and green designs.
- Consists of 6 fat quarters in the set, each 18 × 22 inches in size.
- It is made from 100% cotton material, making it soft and tough.
- Requires cold water washing
iNee Bright Solid Fat Quarters Quilting Fabric
iNee’s bright solid color quilting fabric is the most expensive product in this review, but this is because it comes as a set of 17 fat quarters, each 18 × 22 inches in size. This gives you quite a large amount of fabric at your disposal to use on your project.
However, these pieces only come in solid colors and, thus, are only recommended for the projects that require single-colored fabrics for the quilts. The good thing though, is that there is the option of getting bright solid colors or fall solids for the same price.
Regardless of the color, each fat quarter size of the fabric is made purely from cotton material, and this means that the fabrics are strong enough to withstand heavy abuse but still soft to touch.
However, to maintain this consistency in strength and softness, you should ensure that you wash the fabric in cold water only. Hot water may destroy the bonds between the cotton fibers, causing the fabric to degrade slowly over time.
Features at a glance
- It comes as a set of 17 fat quarters (18 × 22 inches in size), each having a different color.
- Basic solid color theme.
- Available in bright solid or fall solid colors.
- It is made from 100% cotton.
- It requires washing in cold water only.
RayLineDo Fabric Fat Quarter Quilting Fabric
If you are all about color mixing and dense floral designs, RayLineDo’s quilting fabric is the best option to consider.
The set contains 10 fat quarter pieces, with a blend of 2 color maps in either blue and purple, navy and blue, paisley and green, pink and green, purple and navy, red and blue, yellow and check, yellow and paisley and yellow and pink colors. This gives you a wide range of multi-colored options to choose from for creating your colorful project.
These pieces are machine cut, and this means that they are clean and tidy around the edges and are all the same size, which makes it easy to stitch.
Construction-wise, the quilting fabric is made from 100% cotton poplin, which is 100% cotton with a thread count of the 40s per square inch and a density of 133 × 72.
The thickness of this poplin is about 150%of other types of cotton fabrics, and this makes it stronger and capable of withstanding a lot of stress without breaking. However, it is not thick enough to make it hard for quilting, and thus, it won’t be inconveniencing to use.
Features at a glance
- Very colorful set.
- Contains 10 fat quarters (18 × 22 inches)
- Available in a variety of 2-color map options, giving you a wide range to choose from.
- Clean and tidy machine cut pieces that are easy to stitch.
- Made from 100% cotton poplin with a thread count of 40s and a density of 133 × 72.
- 150% thicker than other cotton fabrics for strength and durability.
Consider Before Buying Best Quilting Fabric
There are a couple of essential things that need to be considered before buying any quilting fabric set. These are:
Size
Size is a big factor to consider, with the most common size being the fat quarter, which measures 18 × 22 inches in size.
This means that you get large-sized pieces for stitching on your quilt, and this reduces the task of sewing because you only need to attach this fabric using a few stitches to the underlying layers.
However, this also means that you get a single color or design over a large area, and thus, if you prefer mixing things up, this won’t be a good fit for you.
What might work is the quilting fabric that comes as a set of smaller sheets, with dimensions on 4, 8, 10- or 12-inch square sides.
This will give you a harder time when stitching, but the result will be full of different colors and patterns, and this will also enable you to explore your creativity as you assemble the pieces.
Quantity
Most quilting fabrics come in a set of more than one sheet, and the more the number, the better because you will get a larger amount of cloth to work with.
Additionally, since each sheet comes in a different color or pattern, the more they are, the more the number of colors or patterns that you get in the set.
Colors/ Patterns
Even though the more the number of sheets per set, the more the colors, most sets are usually themed in a particular color.
For instance, you might have a green or pink themed set, and this means that the sheets in the set will have floral designs or stripes, but green and pink will be the dominant color, respectively.
Therefore, depending on the requirements of your project, you should get a color theme that matches the rest of the quilt or the one that suits your preferences.
Material
A fabric’s construction is always a big thing to consider in quilting and other types of sewing projects.
In this case, the most commonly used fabric is cotton, and this is because it is strong enough to hold itself together, even when exposed to rough handling and soft enough to touch. This makes it one of the best material options.
Other variations of cotton such as cotton poplin are also quite common, but this particular one is denser and thicker for making quilts that require tougher skin.
Machine cut or not
Machine cut pieces serve to make the stitching work easier because the sheets will be of the same size and have neat and clean edges. This means that you won’t have to make any adjustments to the dimensions of the fabric because there is a very little margin of error on the sheet’s dimensions.
Pieces that are not machine cut are cheaper, but they might have uneven edges and a bigger margin of error on the dimensions of the sheets. This will require some minor cuts and trimmings to align the pieces for the quilt.
Price
Lastly, the price is a very important factor to consider. Most of the time, the more the sheets of fabric per set and the larger, they are the more expensive item. With this in mind, if you are on a tight budget, you should buy the smallest set. However, ensure that you do not compromise on the quality.
Conclusion
From the review above, you can see that there a variety of quilting fabrics, and these have some defining features that differentiate between these types. Without this information, it might be a little bit difficult to select the best quilting fabric.
However, after reading the article above, you should at a better position to pick the most suitable quilting fabric for your quilting needs.
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Sources…
- https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Quilting+Fabric&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
- https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-choose-quilting-fabrics-2821943
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